METRO
P1.4-M online tire scam suspect collared
Relying on the receipts, the victim dispatched the goods without verifying if the funds had posted to the business’ bank account.
Cybercrime operatives have arrested a man accused of using falsified digital bank transfer receipts to scam an online seller out of more than P1.4 million worth of tires over a one-month period, authorities said.
Operatives from the Northern District Anti-Cybercrime Team apprehended the suspect alongside his delivery driver following a police report filed by the victim.
Police said the suspect ordered tires online and routinely sent manipulated transaction receipts to convince the seller that payments were being processed.
“He sent receipts showing proof of payment through bank transfer, complete with reference numbers and transaction amounts,” Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group spokesperson Col. Zyrah Joy Duazo Cabal said.
Relying on the receipts, the victim dispatched the goods without verifying if the funds had posted to the business’ bank account.
To obscure the delivery trail, the suspect booked third-party delivery services online but verbally redirected drivers over private phone calls to drop off the merchandise at unrecorded locations, Cabal added.
The scheme began with an initial purchase of P7,000 on 11 September, before escalating to larger bulk orders over subsequent weeks. By October, total fraudulent transactions exceeded P1.4 million.
The seller contacted law enforcement after discovering that none of the funds had entered the business account. Operatives tracked down the suspect, who now faces charges of estafa and swindling in relation to Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.